Essential oils as a natural alternative

Apr 27, 2016

This post is brought to you by Thursday Plantation and Nuffnang.

Becoming a parent has a way of making you more conscious. More conscious of your own flaws and what behaviours you are teaching your children. More conscious of what is happening in the world around you and protecting your babies from the dangers. And more conscious of the products we feed our kids and use around them in our homes.

Once upon a time, the thoughts about what cleaning products I was using and the chemicals in them never even crossed my mind. I always figured that the stronger the chemical smell, the better a job it was doing. But then I fell pregnant and all of a sudden, I started thinking about everything I was exposing my baby to. I wasn’t obsessed by the thoughts but rather conscious of the choices I was making and the products I was buying.

And that is why essential oils have so many benefits. They are pure, natural and effective, which can’t always be said for natural alternatives to household products. In fact, Thursday Plantation ran a competition last year for people to submit their uses for essential oils and to date they have collected well over 100 uses. I have three main uses for essential oils in my home.

Sleeping

Hands up if you have ever had a child who wouldn’t sleep? That’s a lot of hands I can see out there in the virtual world. Did you know that Lavender oil can assist with sleep? A few drops in your little ones bath at night and a few drops on a hanky inside their pillow case will help promote a beautiful calm sleep. Go easy on the oil though as just a few drops is all you need (more oil does not equal more sleep!).

Cleaning

How can you go past Eucalyptus oil as a cleaner? If you’ve got anything sticky you need to remove, like labels on a new lunchbox, then a little Eucalyptus Oil on a sponge, rubbed over the sticker, will do the trick. I also use Eucalyptus Oil mixed with a little warm water when cleaning the bathroom.

Healing

When you have a cold and you are feeling super congested, try an inhalation with some warm water and Eucalyptus oil (500ml hot water to 5ml Eucalyptus oil to be exact). Pop a towel over your head and breathe in the steam – it works wonders! Tea Tree oil is another great one for healing and can be applied to minor cuts and grazes for a natural healing solution.

From browsing through the 100 Uses website, I can see that I really know nothing when it comes to essential oil uses. Here are a few of my favourite uses that I have newly discovered:

6 drops of tea tree oil mixed with 4 drops of lavender oil and 60ml water in a spray bottle is a natural make-up brush cleaner

Lavender oil can be used as a natural insect repellent

5ml of Tea Tree oil mixed with 100ml water in a spray bottle can be sprayed on kids sports gear to act as an antimicrobial and freshen up the gear

A few drops of Tea Tree oil in a spray bottle with water is instant hand sanitiser to keep in your handbag while you are out and about

And this is a game changer – a few drops of Eucalyptus oil on a cloth will remove texta and pencil from walls without leaving a mark!

It has got me thinking about all the ways I can introduce natural solutions to my family on my journey of more conscious living and parenting.

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